


"we fell in love; i forget the rest."

by alvaughn



Category: Bandom, Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Fluff and Angst, M/M, brief mentions of debby, brief mentions of smut, nothing too heavy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-05
Updated: 2015-06-05
Packaged: 2018-04-02 23:54:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,495
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4078735
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alvaughn/pseuds/alvaughn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>tyler always answers, “we fell in love. i forget the rest,”</p>
<p>(josh forgets, too.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	"we fell in love; i forget the rest."

**Author's Note:**

> or the au where josh isn't in the band but he works/owns a record shop, tyler pursues the band with other band mates, and their relationship is told in messy snippets. 
> 
> it's 2 am. 
> 
> (it feels like i've had writers block for like, my entire life. send help.)

tyler isn’t exactly lonely, and while he knows that he isn’t lonely, he also knows that something is missing.

(how could he forget, when jenna reminds him of it every few months.)

he doesn’t expect it to happen - really, does anyone expect something like finding your soulmate at a record shop in the middle of winter? - but when it does, tyler is thankful for it.

he walks into the record shop with hopes of finding mark’s christmas gift, and walks out with a coffee date with the cute cashier who’s name is josh. oh, and the newest walk the moon album on vinyl.

(it’s good.)

(it’s a start.)

+

date one goes alright.

only alright, because tyler doesn’t really talk much and josh doesn’t really talk much either. they spend a lot of the date staring at each other over their respective coffees - josh gets a frozen coffee that tyler’s sure has way too much sugar in it; tyler gets a black coffee with three sugars and a dash of cream that josh gives him a weird look for but doesn’t comment otherwise.

“do you work anywhere?” josh asks thirty minutes into the date, and tyler’s pretty sure that’s the fourth sentence he’s said to him since they met in the small coffee shop.

“i’m a songwriter. i have a band,” tyler says, blushing because it’s dumb to say you have a band whenever you’re not really successful enough to say you have a band.

“really? are you guys local? what’s your name?” josh asks, and tyler shies away from the attention because it’s not like they’re anything special in the way that josh seems to think they are.

“uh, twenty one pilots,” he says, nervously, and josh grins again.

“my friends love that band, they keep wanting to drag me to your shows but i’m always too busy,” josh sips at his drink, “i would’ve taken the time off if i knew the lead singer was so cute, though,”

tyler’s face gets redder than he thought was possible, but josh continues giving him an endearing smile that makes his insides feel like they’re melting. “we have a show friday, if you want to come,”

josh agrees, and tyler thinks that maybe, maybe jenna was right all along when she told him that falling in love wasn’t the worst thing in the world.

(he drops josh off, and against his screaming mind, presses a kiss against josh’s cheek.)

(they both blush.)

(it works.)

+

date two goes significantly better.

tyler’s pretty sure that it can’t really be considered a date, because josh is watching him perform on a stage (to be fair, like, four people other than josh are there watching him (and his band) perform, so that’s why tyler doesn’t _really_ consider it a date) and they’re not physically touching or talking for a good portion of the night - which is pretty standard for their dates so far - but they don’t break eye contact with each other until tyler’s jumping off of the stage, and josh immediately attracts to him like a moth to light.

it’s a blur of words that range from _“jesus, you look so sweaty,”_ to _“you were incredible,”_ and somewhere between tyler’s mind jumbles and he can’t keep track of the words that are coming from josh’s mouth so he does what he can to get him to shut up -

he kisses him.

it starts with the simple press of the lips, the warmth between them radiates momentarily and josh doesn’t move - that’s when tyler’s mind goes into overdrive. he’s about to pull away, stutter out an apology and tell josh that he misread his intentions, but then a warm hand is cupping the back of tyler’s head and josh’s head is moving to tilt sideways to kiss tyler deeper, and there’s something burning red and hot in the center of his chest.

they stay like that for a few long moments until someone wolf-whistles them and tyler pulls away, embarrassed, and josh bites at his lower lip in a way that drives tyler crazy, and he wants to say something - _anything_ \- but he doesn’t get the chance before nick is telling him that he has to help pack up their set before he goes off to fuck his boyfriend in the bathroom. tyler blushes, but josh blushes worse, and he tells tyler that he’ll still be there whenever they’re done if tyler really does want to mess around in the bathroom.

(tyler tells him that he’d rather take josh back to his place, and he swears that he could watch the way the red spreads across josh’s cheeks forever.)

it’s practically an hour later by the time they’ve packed up the van, and tyler sticks around the venue, telling nick and chris that josh will drive him home and they make suggestive noises and gestures before driving away.

(tyler needs to get new friends.)

josh meets him outside, and they waste no time before their lips are pressed together again, and josh’s body is flush against tyler’s as they lean against the nearest wall. it’s messy, and breathless, and tyler’s mind is on the fritz but he doesn’t care because josh is doing something with his tongue that he can’t quite figure out but he loves it so much that he doesn’t want to question it.

when they break away to breathe, tyler lets his fingers thread through josh’s hair before he breathes out the words, “we should go back to my place,” and josh nods.

(it’s simple, and easy.)

tyler didn’t really think the idea through - the fact that he lives with other men doesn’t really do them any favors - but chris and nick aren’t home, and mark’s holed up in his room so tyler drags josh to the basement and ties a sock around the doorknob before locking it, and then josh is pressing him up against the door.

from there, it’s a flurry of lips on lips, lips on necks, lips on every inch of skin they can reach, and by the end of the night they’re breathless and tyler looks bruised and beaten up and he loves it. he whines and croons and lets josh take him apart with his lips, with his fingers, with everything that he says and does. they end up curled together on the floor space between the television and the couch, and josh kisses tyler lazily and tells him that he could stay that way forever if they so wanted.

(tyler tells him that’s exactly what he wants.)

(josh has never heard anything so beautiful in his life.)

+

it’s a steady climb towards the band’s success, though tyler swears it happens over night.

josh is at tyler’s side as the band and their friends celebrate after their first sold-out show at the lc, and they kiss, and they grin, and tyler thanks josh for being by his side as he becomes busier and they get less and less time together.

(tyler tells him that they’ll have more alone-time together soon, just after things slow down after the next few shows.)

(josh says it’s no big deal, and seals it with a kiss.)

+

they slowly become huge, touring at bigger venues in places that tyler has never even heard of - they eventually go overseas, they spend their days meeting new people and tyler screams into microphones for people who know their names now, and eventually, he stops calling josh every night and texting him during his free time.

(josh _tries_ , he does. but days become weeks, and weeks become months, and months become half a year, and it’s just too hard.

after that, josh can’t try anymore. he packs up his stuff from tyler’s place without a word, and moves to los angeles.)

(tyler doesn’t call when he gets home. josh waits, but he never calls.)

(it doesn’t hurt any less when he realizes that tyler doesn’t care to know where josh went.)

+

josh watches their steady climb to fame - they’re playing places that could practically be considered stadiums; they’re playing on radio stations that follow josh around every day as he and debby go out and begin their own record shop chain; they’re headlining festivals and selling out everywhere and hitting the top of charts and they’re doing so well that it makes josh consider reaching out to tyler and telling him of how proud he is of his ex-boyfriend.

(he doesn’t, though.)

(debby tells him it’s for the best.)

(his mother tells him the same.)

(his mind tells him otherwise.)

+

it’s been a year and a half, and when debby tells josh that the band are going to be having a private show and meet & greet at the hot topic in the mall down the street from their record shop, josh tells her that it’s time.

(“are you sure?”

“i have to deal with it some time. i need closure,”

“yeah, okay, i’ll get us wristbands,”)

it’s a week and a half later, and debby makes sure that they’re the last ones there so they can sit in the very back - josh wants to be closer, but the look debby gives him tells him that it’s for the best - and during the performance, they make eye contact and tyler stutters over his words, and everyone wonders why but he plays it off like he meant to.

by the time the signing rolls around, the anxiety in the pit of josh’s stomach has risen to an all time high and debby practically forces him over towards where tyler is standing. they make eye contact almost immediately, and josh almost throws up all over his shoes.

“big fan,” josh says after they stare awkwardly at each other for a few moments, and tyler grins something private and soft.

“thanks,” he says, and chris and nick eye the two of them before debby ropes them into a conversation about something else so josh can talk to tyler.

against his raging thoughts, josh pulls tyler in for a hug and nuzzles his face into the crook of his neck just like he used to, and tyler melts against him, and they stay like that for a few long moments.

(“i thought i’d never see you again,”

“i’m sorry,”

“don’t be. i know you were busy, and it was for the best,”

“do you want to get coffee with me sometime?”

“i thought you’d never ask,”)

+

it starts again.

they get coffee the next morning before tyler and the rest of the band have to head in for another acoustic performance at some radio station that seems all too enthusiastic to have them there, and the bittersweet thoughts reminding josh of their first date resurface when they spend a lot of their time together in silence.

“how have you been?” tyler asks, and josh makes a noncommittal noise.

“debby and i have a chain of record stores down here that are pretty successful, i guess,” he says, and tyler looks nervous at the mention of her name.

“debby?” he asks, and he has the all hope is lost tone to his voice that makes josh want to cringe.

“my best friend,” it just adds fuel to the fire.

“oh,”

“she has a boyfriend,” josh mutters, and tyler rolls his shoulders back.

“you should come to the acoustic performance today,”

(against his best intentions - and the plans he’s had for weeks - josh agrees.)

+

they kiss that night.

(josh forgives tyler.)

(they spend the rest of their night tangled in his sheets.)

+

somehow, tyler convinces josh travel with them across the u.s. as they make their way from the west coast and back, and with every show, josh falls even more in love with tyler. they kiss messily before shows, sleep together packed tight in tyler’s bunk, spend early mornings watching city streets and open roads tangled together on the couch in the lounge.

(“i promised myself i wouldn’t forget you this time,” tyler whispers against josh’s collarbone.

“you’re making good on that promise so far,”)

(he is.)

+

the first time an interviewer asks about the mysterious red haired groupie that hangs around them, tyler tells them he’s not a groupie.

“his name is josh dun,” he tells them,

“and why does he travel with you so often? is he a photographer or a journalist or something?” they ask,

“he’s the love of my life,” tyler says, and the interviewer looks shocked.

(josh messily blows tyler on the bus after the interview, before the band has to go soundcheck for their show later that night.)

(he doesn’t admit to tyler that what he said in the interview was why. just lets him assume.)

+

more people ask.

tyler always answers, “we fell in love. i forget the rest,”

(josh forgets, too.)

+

 

he travels with them around the world, he follows them to the ends of the earth and back.

(they get to japan and tyler proposes to josh moments before he’s about to go on stage.)

(josh says yes.)

(tyler performs louder and harder than he ever has before.)

+

they’re engaged for a month and a half before they get to new york and decide to tie the knot in a quick ceremony the moment the court opens in the morning.

(tyler makes it happen as soon as possible because he doesn’t want josh to change his mind.)

(josh never tells tyler that he’s never had a doubt about him since the beginning. that the incident at the beginning of their relationship had only been a speedbump on their road to forever.)

+

they announce their marriage when they get back to columbus. the crowd screams, cheers for them until tyler tells them to hush up because the band has more songs to play.

(josh spends the night on the side of the stage, grinning as he watches his husband do what he does best.)

(tyler plays a new song, too,

“this is dedicated to my husband. i haven’t shown him this song yet, but it’s special, here’s to you, josh,”)

(it’s beautiful and it makes josh cry. the moment they’re off stage after their encore, he lets tyler drag him back to the apartment he’s renting and he lets himself be fucked until his voice is hoarse from screaming tyler’s name.)

(they’ll probably have to write apology cards to tyler’s neighbors because they’ve been home for one night and completely ruined their neighbors nights by their loudness.)

+

sometimes it gets hard - josh eventually opens a new shop in columbus, and tyler’s still touring with the band constantly so they’re apart more than they are together most of the time - but there are times when it’s easier.

(those times are the best times.

when tyler doesn’t spend his nights cooped up writing songs in the small second bedroom of their apartment but rather spends his night bruising josh’s neck with kisses and watching terrible netflix original shows with his husband.

they work, even when they don’t, and it’s alright.)

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> rip. hope you enjoyed. 
> 
> hopefully i'll have some Actual Quality Content on here @ some point soon.


End file.
